ROC Foreign Secretary warns Russia against war with Ukraine

Metropolitan Hilarion, Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) Foreign Secretary, warns Russia against war with Ukraine, recalling that Russia not only won, but also collapsed

Speaking on the aggravation around Ukraine and the warnings of the United States about the readiness of the Russian Federation to attack it, the head of the Department for External Church Relations (DECR) of the Russian Orthodox Church Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeyev) warned against ill-considered statements about the possibility of a Russian attack and against thoughts about its desirability, Institute of Religion and Policy reports.

Disturbing statements

“Both as a clergyman and as a citizen, I am very concerned and worried about what is happening around me, and the statements that one has to hear from different sides”, Metropolitan Hilarion said on Saturday on the TV program “Church and the World” on the Russia 24 TV channel.

On the one hand, we hear assurances from the leadership of the Russian Federation that Russia is not going to attack Ukraine.

We also hear information from Ukrainian politicians that they do not see the threat of an attack from Russia.

But America continues to persistently instill in its Western partners that Russia is preparing for an attack and that therefore it is necessary to withdraw embassy personnel from Ukraine and prepare for a full-scale war.”

Warmongers strike

“We also know that there are politicians in America, Ukraine, and Russia who believe that “war is the right decision in this situation.” In America, in particular, the gun lobby is interested in this. In Ukraine, those political forces that have lost power and who would like to regain power on this are interested in starting full-scale military operations.

Well, there are politicians in Russia who remind us that “Russia has never lost a single war” and that, consequently, “whoever comes to us with a sword will die by the sword.”

Price of victories

Metropolitan Hilarion called, first of all, to remember at what cost Russia won wars.

“This price is millions of lives,” he recalled.

Secondly, every war brings untold disasters to people, the hierarch said.

“And we also need to remember that the outcome of the war is unpredictable. Is it possible to assume that Russia won the First World War?” the metropolitan asked himself. With what enthusiasm Russia entered the war, what patriotic feelings it was accompanied by…

“Could anyone then have assumed that in three years Russia would collapse?”

For all these reasons, Metropolitan Hilarion is deeply convinced that war is not a method of solving accumulated political problems.

“And therefore we must do everything in our power — and the politicians must do everything in their power — in order to prevent the escalation of the conflict and in order to prevent such a development of events that Americans are talking about today,” the DECR head concluded.